Sadiq Khan today published his full manifesto of policies which he hopes will convince Londoners to make him London’s third directly elected Mayor.
The Tooting MP and former Transport Minister currently enjoys a 10 point lead over his nearest rival, Zac Goldsmith, and is the bookies’ favourite to succeed Boris Johnson in May. However, with many Londoners undecided how to vote, pollsters say “there’s still all to play for between now and 5 May.”
Mr Khan’s ‘Manifesto for all Londoners’ pulls together policy announcements from the past few months and highlights what aides say would form the “key priorities” of his administration.
They include a pledge to ensure 50 per cent of new homes are “genuinely affordable” and a commitment to freeze fares on Transport for London services for the full four year mayoral term.
Opponents have previously questioned Khan’s ability to deliver both of these flagship policies, with Mr Goldsmith highlighting that former Labour mayor Ken Livingstone and some Labour councils have already failed to meet the housing target.
Mr Goldsmith and Liberal Democrat mayoral hopeful Caroline Pidgeon have also called into question Mr Khan’s fares pledge which TfL says would cost almost four times Labour’s claimed £450m price tag.
Other policies confirmed by Mr Khan today include a pledge to “make London safer” by ensuring more neighbourhood policing and beefing up the Met’s gangs and knife crime strategies.
Mr Khan is also promising to pedestrianise Oxford Street as part of a package of measures aimed at cleaning up London’s air quality, and to introduce more segregated cycle routes.
He’s also pledged to challenge gender inequality and says he would “make London a fairer and more tolerant city”.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Canary Wharf, Mr Khan said: “London gave me the opportunities to go from the council estate where I grew up, to helping to run a business, serving as Transport Minister and now running for Mayor.”
“I had the helping hand of a good state school, a place at university that I could afford, and ultimately, good jobs for my wife and me that enabled us to buy a family home.
“This manifesto will ensure all Londoners get the opportunities that our city gave to me.”
Khan also used his speech to attack “the negative campaign the Tories are running” which he said was designed which he said was “designed to distract Londoners from my opponent’s lack of experience, substance or values.”
Responding to those comments and his rival’s manifesto, Mr Goldsmith said: “Khan’s plans don’t survive even the gentlest scrutiny. With a £1.9 billion black hole at the heart of his programme he can’t deliver any of the improvements london needs. Either he intends to break his promises, or worse, he’ll keep them and will bring London to a standstill.
“If we don’t grow the transport network, we won’t free up the brownfield land we need to solve the housing crisis. This isn’t a manifesto, it’s fantasy politics from a politician more interested in scoring points than solving problems, a promise of a four year experiment for Jeremy Corbyn whose consequences London cannot afford.”
Londoners will elect a new Mayor and the 25 members of the London Assembly on May 5th.
